Pull-toy assembly

ABSTRACT

A PULL-TOY ASSEMBLY INCLUDING AN INFLATABLE BODY MEMBER AND A WHEELED SKELETAL FRAMEWORK WHEREIN ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY OF THE SAME IS FACILITATED BY PROVIDING DISTINCT BODY MEMBER SUPPORTING AND ENCIRCLING PORTIONS ON SAID FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPORTING AND ENCIRCLING SEPARATE AND DISTINCT PORTIONS OF THE INFLATABLE BODY MEMBER AND WHEREIN THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE BODY ENCIRCLING PORTION OF THE FRAMEWORK EXCEEDS THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE ENCIRCLED INFLATABLE BODY PORTION WHEREBY THE PULL-TOY MAY BE ASSEMBLED AND DISASSEMBLED WITH THE BODY MEMBER IN AN INFLATED CONDITION. STABILITY IS IMPARTED TO THE PULL-TOY BY SO ARRANGING THE BODY MEMBER SUPPORTING AND ENCIRCLING PORTIONS THAT THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF THE BODY MEMBER IS LOCATED INTERMEDIATE AND BELOW A LINE PASSING THROUGH SAID LAST NAMED PORTIONS.

.Feb. 2,197 v R. AQ 'rEHE Ns 3,559,332 E. PULL-TOY Assgmsny mm m. 11, 1969 INVENTOR I BY m ATTORNEYS.

ROBERT A. STEPHENS United States Patent O Int. Cl. A63h 3/06 US. CI. 46-88 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pull-toy assembly including an inflatable body member and a wheeled skeletal framework wherein assembly and disassembly of the same is facilitated by providing distinct body member supporting and encircling portions on said framework for supporting and encircling separate and distinct portions of the inflatable body member and wherein the inner periphery of the body encircling portion of the framework exceeds the outer periphery of the encircled inflatable body portion whereby the pull-toy may be assembled and disassembled with the body member in an inflated condition. Stability is imparted to the pull-toy by so arranging the body member supporting and encircling portions that the center of gravity of the body mem her is located intermediate and below a line passing through said last named portions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 680,168 filed Nov. 2, 1967, now Patent No. 3,460,283.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a childs pull-toy assembly and, more particularly, to a pull-toy employing as a part thereof an inflatable body member which has separate utility apart from its usage in the toy assembly disclosed and claimed herein as will be more apparent from an inspection of the aforesaid patent.

The herein described pull-toy assembly represents an improvement over prior art devices of the general type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,065,567 in the provision of an inflatable body member having utility apart from its use as a pull-toy and which may, by a very small child, be converted to a pull-toy by assembling the same with a coacting carriage member.

The prior art toys incorporating separable inflatable body members such as exemplified by US. Patent No. 3,065,567 have, in general, required not only the use of securing means in addition to the inflatable body and its supporting carriage but, also, that the body member 'be deflated prior to a first step of partial assembly with its supporting carriage after which time the body member must then be inflated to coact with the aforesaid securing means to maintain the pull-toy assembly. Inasmuch as the inflation and deflation of such a body member is quite beyond the capability of very young children whose ages more or less coincide with that age range of children constituting the major market for toys of this type and more particularly for pull-toys such as that herein described, it is apparent that in most cases it has been necessary for an adult or older child to participate in the assembly of prior art inflatable toy assemblies. Additionally, prior art toys of the aforementioned type have, because of the relatively large volume of the inflatable body member, been unstable in use and, indeed, have required that the same be held in an upright position, such as by a child sitting astride the same, which immediately defeats the purpose of a pull-toy which is normally usable by a much younger child than is a riding type toy.

Pull-toys of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,649,- 519 although suitable for use by very young children lack the versatility of a pull-toy having an inflatable subassembly which may not only be used apart from the toy environment, such as a duck decoy, but also as a childs floating toy for use in a swimming pool, bathtub or the like.

A further disadvantage in the prior art toy assemblies of the type with which the invention is concerned is the relatively heavy, and therefore expensive, wheeled supporting carriages that necessarily coact with the inflatable body member to support the same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the invention is to provide a pulltoy assembly incorporating an inflatable body member which may be assembled with a wheeled supporting framework, in the inflated condition, by a very young child Without the use of additional securing means. A corollary objective is to provide a stable pull-toy assembly which will not readily tip over in use.

The invention further contemplates a relatively inexpensive pull-toy that may be readily disassembled, without deflation of the body member, to provide a separable stable floating toy and/ or an inflatable body member which may be used in other environments, such as a duck decoy.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The foregoing and other advantages will become more apparent from the ensuing description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 is illustrated a first embodiment of the invention wherein an inflatable duck decoy 10 is supported on a wheeled skeletal framework 12 which is depicted as being towed by a tensioned string 14 or the like. The constructional details of inflatable body member, or duck decoy, 10 are fully described in copending application Ser. No. 680,168, filed Nov. 2, 1967, now Patent No. 3,460,283. Suflice to say that the inflation tube or stem 16 is secured in its rolled, sealed condition by a deformable lead weight 18 which acts not only to seal the inflation stem but to provide a low center of gravity for the body member as more fully described in the aforesaid copending application.

The wheeled framework or carriage 12 includes a skeletal framework 20 having a wheel supported axle 22, forwardly extending struts 24 curving upwardly and rearwardly in the vicinity of the forward end of the body member to join at the rear of the decoy neck and an integral curved extension 26 extending around a forward portion of the decoy neck to form, with the joining portions of struts 24, a neck encirling portion 28. Wheels 30 are rotatably secured to axle 22 by pins 32 or the like. The neck encircling portion 28 of framework 20 is sufliciently larger than the outer periphery of the decoy neck as to permit assembly of the same by deforming the decoy head portion and inserting the same through neck encircling portion 28. When thus assembled it will be seen that the rear portion of the decoy is supported on axle 22 while the forward end of the decoy is restrained against substantial movement relative to carriage 20 by neck encircling portion 28. It will be noted that sealing weight 18 is well forward of and below axle 22 and does, of

course, define a center of gravity for the assembly which falls below a line joining the axis of axle 22 and the point of attachment 30 of the string 14 to the carriage. This arrangement provides a stably supported pull-toy. When the toy shown in FIG. 1 is not in use, the forward end of the toy is tilted forwardly to be supported on struts 14 and/or the breast portion of the decoy depending on the degree of inflation.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 in that framework 20 includes a single strut 24' extending forwardly from axle 22 to provide an oversize neck encircling portion 28' through which the inflated head and neck portion of decoy may be inserted. A forward support 34 depending from strut 24' coacts with wheels 30 to support the toy in an upright condition during periods of non-use and to enable weight 18 to hang freely at all times whereby the center of gravity of the assembly is so positioned as to insure stability of the toy in the rest position shown in FIG. 3.

Skeletal frameworks 20, 20 are desirably fabricated from a light weight plastic for purposes of economy and ease of manufacture. The light weight construction is particularly important from the standpoint of insuring that the weight 18 which is normally used to stabilize the decoy, as a floating duck, has suflicient weight to act as a stabilizer for the assembly by lowering the center of gravity of the same to an even greater extent than would be possible with a heavier carriage.

The simple pin connections shown at 32 are an important factor in reducing manufacturing costs and, similarly, a very inexpensive bearing means could be provided by sizing the wheel axle openings to fit over axles 22, 22' and securing the same against axial movement relative thereto by securing collars to the axle on either side of each wheel.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description the pull-toy herein described may be readily assembled and disassembled by a young child for use of the assembly as a pull-toy or of the inflatable subassembly as a floating toy.

What is claimed is:

1. A pull-toy assembly comprising; an inflated waterfowl decoy having an inflatable body portion and an inflating stem extending from the underside of said body portion, a wheeled carriage having a non-confining suplevel of said inflating stern and rearwardly thereof and a confining body member encircling portion positioned ahead of and above said inflating stem, the inner periphery of said body member encircling portion exceeding the outer periphery of the encircled body portion, and a weighted member secured to and sealing said inflating stem for maintaining said body member in inflated condition and maintaining the center of gravity of the assembly between said non-confining body supporting and confining body encircling portions of the carriage.

2. The pull-toy assembly of claim 1 wherein said carriage includes an open skeletal framework including a pair of strutsextending forwardly, upwardly and rearwardly from said non-confining supporting member for coaction with an integral curved extension to form said confining body member encircling portion.

3. The pull-toy assembly of claim 1 wherein said carriage includes an open skeletal framework including a single strut extending forwardly, upwardly and rearwardly and terminating at its upper end in said body member encircling portion.

4. The pull-toy assembly of claim 3 wherein said single strut includes a downwardly extending support member to coact with the wheels of said carriage in providing a three point support for said assembly.

References Cited l/l927 Great Britain 46106 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46106 

